Newsletter - The Dorcan Academy

News letter
Issue No: 006
It has been a busy term for students and staff from The
Dorcan Academy. We have hosted events within the
school and taken students on field trips, of which you
will find reports of in this newsletter. Some took place
too late in the term to be included in this edition but you
can read about them in our next newsletter. Namely
our rewards trips, Year 7 camp and the recent news
that two of our Year 8 students, Lauren Doble and
Isabel Dawson, progressed through to the finals of the
Aspens’ National Young Chef of the Year Award;
Lauren going on to become overall winner. Well done
girls!
The English Department
took Year 7, 8 and 9
students to a showing of the
fantastic West End Show
“The War Horse”.
The Dorcan Academy held a
Year 11 Design Technology
and Art Show. There were
practical work exhibits, an
Art and Photography gallery
as well as displays and
presentations
from
the
Dorcan Young Designer of
the Year competition.
Fun was had by all at the
annual Dorcan Academy
Olympics. Processions of the
tutor groups started the
proceedings, each tutor group
donning
their
handmade
banners.
We hope you enjoy this edition of The Dorcan Academy
Newsletter.
Term 6: 2013/2014
Inside this issue:
Message from the Head Teacher
2
Message from Governors
4
Charley Drewett Memorial
4
Goodbye and Hello
5
Burger Brunch
A Summer Cream Tea
6
7
Ambassador Visits
8
Window into the Hotel Trade
9
Parents Evenings 2013-14
9
Flood Champions
10
War Horse Theatre Trip
PE News
Duke of Edinburgh Award
11
12
13
The Dorcan Academy Olympics
14
Kwik Cricket
The James Dyson Foundation
16
17
DT, Art & Photography Show
18
Young Designer of the Year
19
A Tasty Option
20
Dorcan Masterchef
21
Mock Interview Day
22
Annual Summer Concert
23
SCITT
24
Working with Evil Twins Artwork
25
Tatenda reaches for the Stars
26
Techniquest
Riveting Readathon
Events for Dorcan Students
Visit to Oxford University
27
28
29
30
Dates for your Diary
31
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This has been another exceptional year for the school in
so many ways, not only with outstanding success in the
classroom but with an enormous range of achievements
by our staff and students outside of school and the
creation of many new opportunities as we moved into
second full year as The Dorcan Academy. Please take
some time to read about some of the more recent
activities and successes that characterise Dorcan and
make it such an outstanding school.
Students and staff have continued to work hard
throughout the year to build on our previous
achievements and we were delighted that Mr Simon
Rowe, Her Majesty’s Inspector praised us for our planning and improvements in January. Our
data tracking indicates that this year’s examination results could be some of the best ever.
However, there is much more to Dorcan than just examination success and I would like to thank
all our staff, both teaching and support members, for their commitment and dedication over the
year and the students for their fantastic effort and ongoing enthusiasm in and out of the
classroom.
This year we have had a smaller turnover in staff with a more stable budget situation. However,
we still have a number of staff leaving at the end of the academic year. Mrs Moore leaves the
English department after a year, as do Mr Tucker and Mrs Wright from the Science department.
Miss Harper moves on from her cover supervisor post to train as a teacher. After several years of
service to the PE department Mr Senior has been promoted to a post in Wiltshire and Mr Shuker,
after successfully retraining, takes up a position in a primary school. Mrs Copestake also moves
on from the maths team following a promotion locally and Miss Tanji has been promoted to a
head of department role in Sri Lanka. It is a sign of our recent success that staff continue to be
promoted to new posts and we wish them all every success and thank them for their service at
Dorcan. Mr Matyla also leaves us after many highly successful years of service initially as a
newly qualified teacher and then as a non-teaching Year Leader. He has decided to follow the
teaching route and gained a position in a local school. Over the years Mr Matyla has made an
impact on the lives of numerous young people at Dorcan both in the classroom and in his
pastoral role, as well as through a wide range of extra-curricular trips and activities and also as a
staff governor. I know that we will all want to thank Mr Matyla for his
commitment and dedication during his time at Dorcan and wish him
every success in his new role.
Lastly, we say farewell to Mr Jackson who has been at Dorcan for the
past 26 years. As a mathematician Mr Jackson has taught thousands of
students over the years, not only improving their maths skills but also
broadening their view of the usefulness of maths across a whole range
of areas. Mr Jackson not only studied maths at university but also
Russian and as part of his course spent time in Russia. This has not only
led to him having an official KGB file but also to his enthusiasm to
organise and run a huge range of trips and activities across Europe.
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Once again many students and staff have benefitted
from a Mr Jackson trip from Romania to Poland and
Finland to Moscow and we thank him for the time and
dedication spent in writing bids and organising funding
for these trips, often working with colleagues in five or six
countries at the same time. As an Assistant Head
teacher Mr Jackson has been an invaluable member of
the school’s Senior Leadership Team. His skills and
understanding have helped us vastly improve our ICT
facilities and infrastructure in school. He has played a
key role in understanding and implementing reforms
around the curriculum as national legislation has
changed. He has also been vital in developing new
systems to monitor and track students’ progress and subsequently help the school towards even
greater success in students’ attainment at GCSE. His ability with spreadsheets is legendary
within the school and has enabled him to design our annual timetable to make it as efficient as
possible, saving the school many thousands of pounds. Indeed he has also helped several other
schools with their timetabling problems. We wish Mr Jackson every success in his retirement
which will no doubt be filled with more of his favourite pastime, fishing. He has not only fished at
national level but also supported and encouraged young people to take up the sport and for many
to achieve very high standards themselves. That dedication to supporting and helping young
people to achieve and succeed runs throughout Mr Jackson’s career and I know that the
thousands of students he has helped both in school and out of school will send him every good
wish for the future.
Though it is always sad to be losing staff, we appreciate the talents and commitment of all our
staff and wish all those leaving every success in the future. At this point I am delighted to
announce that we have been able to recruit specialist staff to replace all those leaving, ready for
September and the new academic year.
Friday 4th July saw the Year 11 prom at Hilton Hotel with the students turning out in their finery
and looking fantastic! It was an opportunity for them to say farewell to school and to acknowledge
the hard work that they have put in for their exams, supported by their parents and staff at school.
Exams results are out on Thursday 21st August with students collecting their results in school
between 11 am and 1 pm.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a restful and enjoyable summer
break. The new school year, which promises to be equally exciting, begins with the Student
Induction Day on Wednesday 3rd September. Further details are in the last headlines of the year
and available on the school’s website.
Dr Scott Sissons
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The Dorcan Academy Governors
My name is Richard Vowles. I left Dorcan in 1986
vowing never to return, as I wasn’t a fan of school;
yet here I am all these years later, a governor.
Why? Because it’s fun as well as fulfilling, to help
in the decisions that shape the future of our
community and to give back to the place that
prepared my wife, daughter and me for the big
wide world. If this appeals to you please contact
one of the governors at any of the Academy events
or email us at [email protected]. Just do it,
you won’t regret it!
Dr R Vowles
Governor
Charley Drewett Memorial
Following the tragic death of Charley Drewett, her year group decided
to raise money for a lasting memorial. The decision was made to run
an inter-tutor football tournament as this involved Charley’s love of
football. Year 10 responded fantastically, raising £200 towards the
cost and the Headteacher kindly agreed to pay the remainder of the
costs of the memorial.
Rob from Greenshave Services was commissioned to produce a
wooden memorial, something that his company has done for many
different occasions and Rob was sensitive to the need to reflect
Charley’s love of sport. It was decided that a football would be the
best representation of this. He duly sourced material suitable for the
job and was able to create the memorial from one piece of tree trunk.
Charley’s tutor group, 10R1, and their tutor, Mr Haynes, created the script to be put onto the
plaque and this was produced on a hexagonal plaque to reflect the patterns that Rob was able to
carve into the wood.
The completed memorial was delivered to school on the 23 rd June, in time to be unveiled on
Charley’s birthday the following day at a private event for friends and family at the school which
celebrated Charley. The memorial is a lasting testament to Charley’s character and energy. Her
year group miss her and were grateful for the opportunity to do something to ensure that she has
a legacy at The Dorcan Academy.
Mr Matyla
Year Leader
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Goodbye and Hello!
The Year 11 Prom was held on Friday 4th July at The Hilton Hotel. A fabulous two course
supper was served in the lavish dining hall, following by dancing. The colour theme was Dorcan
colours of gold and royal blue with tables decorated by balloons.
Our students behaved impeccably and made all parents and staff very proud. The students all
looked amazing and we had a magical night. All the staff at The Dorcan Academy would like to
wish the Year 11’s the very best for the future.
The Year 6 students are now ready to join The Dorcan Academy in September following their
very successful Taster and/or Induction Days. They have taken part in activities to help them
bond as a Tutor Group and to find out more about The Dorcan Academy and secondary school
life. The students have all been given a task to complete during the summer holidays which they
need to bring back to school with them on 3rd September. This will go towards their Tutor Group
‘Totem’.
I have visited students in their primary school settings and spoken to all primary teachers and
staff to find out as much about the students as possible before they start. The final Induction Day
on 14th July was the first time that the whole of the year group attended together and was a huge
success. This was followed by a parents evening later the same day which gave parents the
chance to ask questions, meet their son or daughter’s tutor, order uniform, purchase a stationery
pack and sample some of the excellent food that is available to all students on a daily basis.
We look forward to the Year 6’s starting with us full-time in September.
Mrs N Grace
Year Leader
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Burger Brunch
Year 9 students from The Hub hosted a tasty burger brunch recently. A massive “Well Done” to
Braydon McRae-Dell, Brandon Baker, Jack Street and Sophie Choules for providing a delicious
spread of burgers, potato wedges, salad and drinks.
The students chose which teachers to invite and created invitations for them. The teachers came
to The Hub during second break, where the students used their ‘pick your own burger menu’ to
treat our guests to the burger of their choice. From preparing the table to grilling the burgers,
each student put in a great amount of work and effort to show off their catering and cooking skills,
which received many compliments from our invited staff.
A big thank you to everyone who turned up to the event and we look forward to hosting our next
one at the end of this term.
Mr Payne
Cover Supervisor
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A Summer Cream Tea
Year 7 in The Hub put on a cream tea recently. Before we had the cream tea we had to go
through the recipes to find out how to make scones and shortbread. We looked at two recipes
and highlighted the differences between both of them.
Mrs Edmonds did a demonstration of making scones and shortbread.
invitations to our parents and teachers and handed them out.
Next, we wrote out
On the day we went to the tech room and we got all our ingredients ready. The teachers helped
us to cook them. At lunch, we came back to The Hub to set up. We laid all the tables out in a
long line with a white tablecloth.
We prepared the scones and laid the table. Luke, Troy and Ryan went to get the parents.
Parents, teachers and students all ate their fill! It was a happy time.
Students from The Hub
“The table
was all
decorate
d, it was lu
sh!”
ade
erry m
P
r
M
d
“Me an
ones...”
man sc
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Ambassador Visits
During the summer term, Year 8 students worked in groups on a project to produce a ‘Guide to
Dorcan’ for Year 6 students. The aim was to create a booklet and to visit some of our cluster
schools to deliver it to Year 6 students. The booklet is an ‘everything you need to know’ guide
written from the perspective of Dorcan students and will, hopefully, address some of the
questions or worries that Year 6 students may have about moving into Year 7.
The first stage of this process was for the groups of Year 8 students to design a questionnaire.
Eleven Year 8 Dorcan students - our ambassadors - then visited Nythe Primary and Covingham
Park Primary Schools. During the visits, the Year 8 ambassadors worked with groups of Year 6
pupils to fill in the questionnaires and to answer any questions about what it was like at The
Dorcan Academy. The ambassadors then fedback the results of the questionnaires to their
classes at Dorcan and this information will be used to inform the creation of their guides.
The next stage was a second visit, adding Goddard Park Primary as well this time, with draft
copies of the guides. We asked Year 6 to cast a critical eye over these drafts and tell us what
they thought. The guides were returned to Dorcan, with the suggested points for improvements.
Year 6 also had the opportunity to choose which of the guides they would like to receive.
Once the guides have been completed, Dorcan will deliver the chosen guides to Year 6 pupils.
This term is a busy one and we are hugely grateful to our partner primary schools and
to everyone who has been involved in this project for affording us the time to visit and supporting
us - thank you very much.
A big well done to Year 8 for all of their hard work and for all of the effort they made when working
on their guides, and to Year 8 ambassadors for their enthusiasm and impeccable behaviour when
visiting the primary schools.
They are:
Megan May.
Victoria Lawton
Will Price-Rolfe
Harry Frost
Steen Osbourn
Sophie Blackwell
Josh Turner
Lauren Doble
Nola Ely
Emily Peters
Nathan Shaw
Mrs Whatley
Teacher of English
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Window into the Hotel Trade
Students from The Dorcan Academy were invited on a tour of the Marriott Hotel. They visited
various departments, were involved in making coffees and shown the correct way of making beds
within housekeeping.
The purpose of the trip was to show students the different jobs within the hotel business and what
qualifications were needed to attain employment.
A big thank you to Tony Martin from Zurich, Darren Howell from Intel and the Marriott Hotel.
Mrs Koza
Student Data Manager
Parent Evenings 2013-14
Many thanks to all those who gave us feedback on the computerised booking system for parent
evenings. It was encouraging that the vast majority of parents liked the opportunity to book
appointments themselves (notwithstanding the annoying quirks of the system used!) and we will
be looking to introduce a similar system of booking next year but with more refinements to take
on board the points that were made.
Further details will be announced later in the new academic year so please keep an eye out for
them! Winner of the prize draw for completing the survey was… Deborah Richards. (The prize
will be winging its way to her shortly!)
Mr Jackson
Assistant Head Teacher
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Flood Champions
This week The Dorcan Academy’s Flood Champions delivered assemblies to their fellow peers in
Years 7, 8 and 9. The assemblies aimed to increase students’ awareness of flood risk in their
community.
The Flood Champions provided information on flood risk in the UK and in Swindon’s East
Locality, facts around flooding as a hazard, advice on what to do before, during and after a flood
by performing a flood scenario, and awareness on the effects of flooding through a first-hand
account delivered by one of the Champions.
The Flood Champions hope the students who heard the assembly will put together an emergency
grab bag, know how to behave in a flood, and sign up to the Environment Agency’s Flood
Warning Direct Service.
In March the Flood Champions had decided to deliver assemblies to their peers, and have been
working together to research and collate the material required and to practice the assemblies.
Since then the Flood Champions hope to do more assemblies in the next academic year to their
peers and to cluster primary schools.
During the first year of the Flood Champions, the group of champions have had a day with
Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to develop their team work and communication skills and have
raised awareness of flooding through social media and assemblies.
The Flood Champions group at The Dorcan Academy was created as part of Swindon’s Defra
Community Flood Resilience Pathfinder Project.
Mrs May
Year Leader
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War Horse Theatre Trip
English students from Year 7, 8 and 9 set off in high spirits and with enough tuck stowed away for
a three day hike. “War Horse” has the most amazing reviews and we were all keen to see
why. The “New Theatre” is one of the smallest in the West End so, even in the very back row,
The Dorcan Academy still felt dangerously close when the bombs went off. Mr Coombes and
seven very lucky Year 9 students, organised by Brad Sealey, Fletcher Payne, Saffron Warwick,
Jess Trowbridge and Sam Bedwell bagged eight very salubrious stall seats (normally £62.50
each) while the rest of us trooped up to the roof.
We settled quickly after Nathan Walter’s missing sweets were found. Matty bravely went up and
down the very narrow row, twice to solve the mystery. (The sweets had been accidently eaten by
Ms Smith, who was supposed to be keeping them safe. A case of mistaken identity, honest,
Nathan).
The show is amazing, mostly because of the horses. “Joey” lives and breathes as a real
character, manned by puppeteers. When he enters the stage as a fully grown horse, it’s breathtaking which makes the cruelty of the war scenes unbearably poignant. We all had our tissues
out. Miss Woodward was the first. All except Sophie Lovegrove. I don’t know how you managed
it Sophie! I think we all learned about the real cost of war, the tragedy it causes and we all fell a
little in love with “Joey”.
Tobie: “You DID NOT see a gold Ferrari’.
Rest of the coach: “Yes we DID”. Poor Tobie.
As always, I was incredibly proud of our students and their behaviour.
Ms Smith
Head of English
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PE News
Congratulations to the U16 Girls Football team who went through to the
South West Regional Futsal Finals in Paignton on Sunday 25 th May after
winning the Wiltshire competition. The girls demonstrated some great skill
and commitment to work together against the opposition who were quite
testing on the day. The team did Dorcan proud but unfortunately we will be
not be progressing to the next round. Well done to the team involved:
Charlotte Bailey, Jordan O’Donaghue, Katie Milne, Steph Houston, Rhiannon
Brown and Amie Milne.
A group of Dorcan girls played their first touch rugby match in a friendly
away to Kingsdown on 14th May. Well done to Lauren Doble, Maisie
Paget, Lucy Mullis, Jamie Kimber, Eleanor Fallon, Isabel Dawson, Beth
Fowler, Sammy Toms and Alex Walker who were successful in a seven to
five tries victory! We hope to begin a club from September now that all
girls in Years 7 and 8 have received a term of teaching this year plus the
popularity and request to do more. If you are interested in playing more
rugby next year, speak to your PE teacher for more details.
Mrs Gay
Deputy Head of Physical Education
Well done to the budding tennis stars who
represented Dorcan at the Swindon School
Games on Friday 27th June. The day began with
an inspirational Opening Ceremony at Lydiard
Park Academy which included speakers,
dancers and a BMX roadshow. The teams then
travelled to Delta Tennis Centre for the
competition, where the boys team enjoyed the
first experience of the competition setting. The
girls team had more success as they reached
the semi-finals and qualified to the next round at
Marlborough College. At the South West
competition the girls team played some fantastic
tennis, showed great support for each other and
finishing in 3rd position only narrowly missing out
on qualifying for the next round.
Well done to the following students for their
involvement: Edison Smith, Isabel Dawson,
Lauren Doble, Billie Jo Francis, Harry Frost,
Ethan Easton, Kerys Hawker and Rob Hawkins.
Miss Trigg
Teacher of Physical Education
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Duke of Edinburgh Award
Throughout Year 10 the bronze Duke of Edinburgh team
have demonstrated excellent dedication and commitment to
the award. Each student has given up their own time to
complete the three sections of the award – volunteering,
physical and skills. Through the award students have made
a valuable contribution to the local community, broadened
their own experiences, learnt new skills and had fun!
To achieve her award Lauren Kirkland volunteered her time
at Riding for the Disabled, trained regularly at North Wilts
hockey club and developed her cookery skills. Jack Baker
volunteered at Stanton Country Park, attended weekly trips
to Next Generation Gym and completed a first aid course for
his skills section. Stephanie Houston volunteered at her local
youth centre, played regular football and also developed her
cookery skills. These are just a few examples of the
excellent work our students have been carrying out, there
are many more experiences which will be shared at the
presentation evening in October.
Throughout the year the teams have been preparing to
complete the final section of the award - the expedition. They
completed a first-aid course, learnt camp craft and
navigational skills. On a very cold teacher training day in
March students put their planning and navigational skills to
the test and completed a practice walk, followed by a
practice two day and one night weekend expedition in the
Marlborough area. On Saturday 21st June teams set off on
their two day qualifying expedition. Within their groups they
had planned their route, produced route cards, decided what
they would cook on their stoves and where the rest stops
would be. Each expedition team had decided on a group
aim. The Duke of Edinburgh Assessors were very impressed
with the high standards that the students demonstrated
whilst on the expedition and passed all of the students!
If you would like to begin or continue your own Duke of
Edinburgh journey and complete either the Bronze or Silver
Award next year please collect an enrolment form from Miss
Trigg or Mrs Koza. If you would like any further information
please contact [email protected].
Miss Trigg
Teacher of Physical Education
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The Dorcan Academy Olympics
Once again the PE Department and the rest of the school “played a blinder” for the Dorcan
Olympics. The weather was fabulous and the staff and the whole of lower school had a
wonderful day. Several old legends of the school were spotted officiating and helping the day run
smoothly, namely David Knight and Tony Williams. The venue had a secure feeling to it which
was provided by Mr Neads and Dr Sissons who, along with members of the local constabulary,
acted as security staff. Mr Haskins, Mr Coombes and Mr Neads (he was everywhere!) were kept
busy presenting the medals and being ably supported by Mrs Hardcastle, Mrs Curtis and Mrs
Pitts, who kept them supplied with the medals. Sue Woolford once again laid on a great spread
of food with limited resources and showed how creative our catering staff can be by feeding
hundreds of students, staff and parents with only a BBQ and some hot flasks.
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Another reason the event was such a success was that it was administrated so efficiently. Mr
Shuker and Mrs Hamilton practically had steam coming out of their ears while they were taking in
and processing all the results so quickly. Mr Sharp and Mrs Matyla were like Radio 2 disc
jockeys - making announcements, commentating and playing music from the parents and from
the era of senior staff members. Mrs Farrow’s ‘media team’ were busy taking photos, some of
which you can see in this newsletter, and Mrs Farrow commented that she thought the students
were very well behaved throughout the whole day. This is something that the PE Department
would also like to highlight. Well done to everyone who took part in the events, tug of war, and
subject challenges, you were a credit to your tutor groups and school.
Mr Needham
Teacher of Physical Education
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The Dorcan Academy hosts U13 Kwik Cricket at County Ground
A squad of fifteen Year 7 and Year 8 boys went to the Swindon Cricket Ground as The Dorcan
Academy hosted a Kwik Cricket Tournament on the 26 th June. We were joined by some really
good teams from Ridgeway, Isambard and Commonweal Schools. There were six teams in all as
Ridgeway and Dorcan both brought enough players for two sides. Exciting games were played
under the darkening skies and we were just able to complete the competition before the storms
hit. It was a dramatic conclusion to a thoroughly enjoyable event.
“You get to enjoy
playing for a team”
Robert Friend Year 7
Isambard were victorious overall and the
two Dorcan teams came in 6th and also
an excellent 3rd place! Almost all of our
players are new to cricket and have been
learning the game in lessons and our
Tuesday after-school Cricket Club on the
Astro.
“All the teams were
competitive but showed
sportsmanship”
Connor Law Year 7
Thank you to all the parents who helped with transport and supported our players. Massive
thanks also to Andy Grayson, our Cricket and Rugby Consultant Coach. Andy works with our
students in lessons and after school to enhance their development and provide guidance to the
PE staff. He also secured the use of the Cricket Ground, which is a fantastic facility to give the
boys their first competitive experience in cricket.
Congratulations…
“It’s a good day out”
George Edwards Year 7
Kurtis Knee, Robert Friend, George
Edwards, Conor Law, Anthony Green,
Stuart Green, Josh Harkness, Yusuf
Paswal, Toby Antal, Jamie Adams,
Thomas Ruddle, Thomas Freeman, Troy
Lonsdale, Jacob Pile and Daniel Light
Mr Senior
Teacher of Physical Education
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“It was fun and there
was good teamwork”
Thomas Ruddle Year 7
The James Dyson Foundation
Year 8 students were invited to take part in The James Dyson Foundation as an introduction to
their Engineering option in Year 9.
A Dyson design engineer visited The Dorcan Academy and challenged the students to solve a
problem by designing a solution. Once designed, the students prototyped their ideas using card
and a wide range of Dyson parts and then had to pitch their ideas to the rest of the class.
This was a great opportunity for them to have an insight into the whole design process at Dyson
and discover creative solutions to everyday problems.
Mr Thomas
DT Teacher
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DT, Art and Photography Show - Shining a Light on the Future
As part of the drive to showcase the creative talent here at The Dorcan Academy the exhibition
included a wide range of products from Graphics, Textiles, Food, Engineering, Resistant
Materials, Art and Photography – from highly practical products to the delightful and fun. The
range of the students creativity and imagination was impressive, with parents and governors
acting as the client providing useful feedback.
All of this year`s work was showcased at the exhibition, which was a chance for everyone to see
and experience the range of work we carry out. The show was attended by students, staff,
parents and governors with refreshments prepared and served by students on our catering
course.
Mr Haynes
Deputy Head of Design and Technology
“I had a fantastic D&T food teacher,
he recognised this was my thing
encouraged me to be creative and to
take risks with my culinary designs”.
“Thanks for sending me an invite, the
designs, art and photography pieces
looked great. Are they for sale?”
Year 11 parent
Year 11 Food Student
“I thought the
project was fun, I
found working with
electronics
challenging but
interesting”.
Year 11 student
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Young Designer of the Year 2014
Aimed at students in both Key Stage 3 and 4 this project
challenges our students to design a new product. This
challenge places creative design skills in a real world context,
helping students to apply learning across the curriculum.
Besides the chance for students to see their ideas developed,
there was a variety of prizes to be won and the top twelve
ideas publically exhibited at the end of year celebratory DT,
Art and Photography exhibition. With over one hundred initial
entries the design challenge provided the opportunity for
enterprise with students learning from leading industry experts from Nationwide, Zurich and TE
(Tyco Electronics). This growing annual design challenge is becoming an important benchmark of
design talent here at The Dorcan Academy with the prizes ranging from Acer Iconia 7inch 8GB
Tablets to £20 Amazon vouchers.
The winning design was the `Advice Mirror` from Tammy O`Brien – Year 9.
Tammy remarked “I am both pleased and surprised to have won, my mum will be so proud”.
Finalists – Edmund Dadge Year 8; Tia Reeves and Emily Haskins both Year 7; Ben Yeats, Year
9; Lauren Baldwin, Year 9; Georgia Ashworth Year 8; Alex McDougall, Year 8; Lewis Ockwell,
Year 8; Sophie Lovegrove, Year 9; Jasmine Fuller, Year 9; Travis Carrigan, Year 8; James Fry
and James Foggin both Year 10.
Judges commented “Original and creative design ideas come from having a wealth of
experience, so it’s good to see Dorcan students get off Facebook, putting down their remote
controls and getting out and about visiting places, talking to new people outside their age group
and coming up with some fab ideas, I’m impressed!”.
“It’s always good to see original design challenges in schools as the pressure for students to
follow academic subjects is immense, the entries are of such a high standard I cannot pick a
clear winner”.
One of our jobs as D&T teachers is to make our subject relevant, develop links with real life
manufacturing and design companies and to show students that there is a whole world of
opportunities out there in terms of career progression. A big thank you to all the business
mentors, school governors and teaching colleagues who were prepared to get on board with
such enthusiasm.
Mr Haynes
Design and Technology
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A Tasty Option - A New Subject on The Menu
Catering is a relatively new subject at The Dorcan Academy. Key Stage 3 students work through
a variety of international dishes and by the time students reach the end of Year 9 they can all
cook healthy nutritious main meals with confidence. Whilst some will go on to study the subject at
GCSE others have the opportunity to continue cooking as an after school activity.
“I like cooking and I like singing, but the cooking club and Glee club have to be the best after
school clubs at Dorcan! It really is the best fun ever and Mr Haynes rocks…” Chloe, Year 7
The international cooking activity has strong cross curricular links with Global Learning and MFL
departments, with students learning cooking skills whilst communicating in the language of their
country of choice.
Dorcan supports the value of extracurricular activities alongside classroom based studies. The
food department has established some excellent links with Swindon College as the Dorcan
Master Chef competition has become the culinary event of the year supported by both students
and parents.
One year 9 parent remarked “Once again I was blown away with the quality of catering from the
class this week. Some of the products will not look out of place in a 5 star hotel”.
Catering has gone from strength to strength and is already established as a popular year 9 option
and extracurricular activity. It’s hard to imagine a time when there was no catering at all.
Mr Haynes
Deputy Head of Design Technology
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Dorcan Master Chef 2014
Thank you to everyone who entered the Dorcan Master Chef Competition. We received some
fantastic, innovative entries focusing on a variety of themes which made picking the winners very
challenging.
Year 7/8 category winners Teigan Young and Jessica Hendry delighted the judges with their spin
on a beefburger takeaway theme, with a cake made out of sponge and icing.
Teigan said “I found it quite challenging, but I enjoyed every minute of it, I am proud of what I
have accomplished, this is the best thing I have ever made”. Jessica remarked “It was
challenging, but also really fun. The dish we presented was delicious and looked professional”.
“I was so pleased and proud to hear that Jessica and Teigen were the competition winners today.
They have loved the experience and are feeling very happy with themselves. Thank you Mr
Haynes”. (Jessica`s Mum)
The other winners included Carly Bohane, Molly McCusker, Chloe Crawford, Lauren Reynolds,
Jack Powdrill and Justin Mayhew.
The students remarked “We had a great time, I have learnt a lot and enjoyed the occasion, It was
a challenge to get the main and dessert finished on time but we practiced quite a lot and in the
end it was a fab experience. We were competing against much older students but we still held
our own against some very good teams. We all worked well and enjoyed the experience. We will
be back next year to compete again.”
The standard has got even better since last year, “I didn’t think it could get even better but they
have all stepped it up, you have certainly inspired a generation with this competition.” Steve
Matthews, Swindon College Chef.
A big thank you to judges Steve Matthews from Swindon College and Vicki Brown.
Mr Haynes
Deputy Head of Design Technology
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Mock Interview Day
On Wednesday 15th May the Dorcan sports hall hosted dozens of interview tables, as Y11 came
through for a series of mock interviews with adult volunteers from the local community. Students
submitted professionally presented CVs and covering letters, which we read in advance of each
interview. I found myself acting as the manager of a music shop, pharmacy, a primary school
headmistress and even joinery! The students’ interests were far-reaching and our conversations
ranged from their impressive live performances, to what wood would be best for making a
snooker cue. All of them rose to the challenge of holding an intense and focused conversation
with a stranger and were able to justify their choices and decisions admirably. I was extremely
impressed by their thoughtfulness and confidence. This was a good opportunity to meet the
students in a formal setting, dressed smartly and nervous, but also impressive and keen. In the
break, discussion buzzed, as we commented favourably on students’ performance. It was a great
way to showcase excellence. An important part of the process was the feedback debrief offered
after each interview; it was particularly interesting to discuss students’ performance with them
and get an insight into how self-aware many of them were, as well as offering constructive
criticism, which will hopefully support them in their future applications. In an increasingly
competitive society and job market, the opportunity to test oneself in an interview situation may
prove invaluable and the students clearly treated it as such. Two governors participated as
interviewers, alongside representatives from across Swindon, once again demonstrating the
strength of community collaboration which Dorcan embodies.
Thank you to the Year 10 Careers team who helped to run and make the event a success again
this year.
Miss Ryan
Governor
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Dorcan Second Annual Summer Concert
On Wednesday 3rd July The Dorcan Academy Music Department hosted its second annual
summer concert. It was well supported and a really successful evening that brought together the
different music department ensembles, dancers and soloists. Groups included the Dorcan Steel
Band, the Glee Club, Guitar Club and a host of solo performers. There was also a spot for the
GCSE Music class, which offered a first opportunity to perform in front of an audience. Such was
the success of the event we had a full hall, which is a testament to the increasing participation of
students. That said, I am still looking for more performers to give myself an even bigger problem
next year! I look forward to our next Summer Concert where we will have an added Samba group
to include in proceedings! All the ensembles still welcome new members and there are still a
couple of guitar club spaces for September, at a cost of only £18 for every 10 weeks.
Mr Driver
Deputy Head of Expressive Arts
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SCITT
The Dorcan Academy has been the lead school for the SCITT
since the scheme began in 2003. This year sees the end of the
current format of the SCITT and a new start in September as part
of the Swindon Teaching School. The SCITT Manager Mr Bryn
Harrison has written about the SCITT and a recent trainee, who
starts full time teaching at Dorcan in September, has shared her
experience.
The Swindon SCITT is a course for training secondary school teachers. The course started back
in 2003 and was set up primarily to improve the recruitment of teachers in shortage subjects for
the children of Swindon. It is a partnership with Swindon secondary schools and the University of
Bath and we are now just completing our 11 th year. The lead school in this partnership is The
Dorcan Academy and the school has supported the SCITT course in numerous ways. Over the
years we have trained many Swindon residents who had a desire to become secondary school
teachers.
The subjects we offer are: Design and Technology, English, Computer Science, Mathematics,
Modern Foreign Languages and Science. The course is 36 weeks long and the majority of that
time is spent in schools developing teaching skills. The trainees gain two qualifications on
successful completion of the course, Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and a PGCE qualification.
Over the last ten years 215 trainees have successfully completed the course with 197 gaining
teaching posts after training. Of those 197, 107 have gained their first job in the eleven Swindon
secondary schools and this is having a significant impact on pupils’ learning across the town.
Bryn Harrison SCITT Manager
Dorcan is also delighted that one of this year’s SCITT
trainees, Michelle Ross has not only successfully
completed the course but has also obtained a post
working in the English department at school.
I have been a trainee teacher in the English department
this year through the Swindon SCITT organisation. I
have had a fantastic experience and received a huge
amount of support from my department and the wider
school. The students here are polite and have made me
feel very welcome. I knew on my first day that there
was something special about The Dorcan Academy;
therefore I am pleased to be able to return in
September to embark on my teaching career.
Thanks Dorcan!
Miss Ross (English SCITT Trainee)
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Working with Evil Twins Artworks
As part of our Media Diploma we set out to advertise a games development club that was going
to take place within the school.
In Swindon, there is seemingly no such thing as a student development program within the
games industry. Yes, you can study Games Development at college. Yes, you can teach yourself
invaluable games development skills with a little help from the internet. But where do you go if
you want to speak and work with established industry insiders? The answer was handed to me
when I heard that my Media teacher, Mrs Farrow, had managed to set up a meeting with James
and Mark Carroll, the co-founders of local games development company Evil Twin Artworks.
We discussed our aims and they evaluated our ideas. As well as this they allowed us to go
hands on with a project of their own, “Victory at Sea”. The thing that really stood out for me was
how a development, so seemingly solid, was happening right in front of me.
The club consisted of a combined effort to make a game using a program called Scratch. James
and Mark were at hand to help students with various parts of the project’s development, such as
designing in-game assets and mixing music for the soundtrack. I explained to Mark that I am
interested in games writing and the session after that he approached me and asked if I wanted to
write a few promotional blogs that would be posted on their website.
Fast forward, a little over six months and I have written various lines of dialogue, blogs and press
releases for Evil Twin Artworks’ “Victory at Sea” - and hopefully will continue to work with them on
future projects.
After college, where will I find myself? Currently, I do not know the answer to that, but what is
clear is that Evil Twin Artworks and The Dorcan Academy have helped me to get a foothold in the
games industry, through them I now have more chance than ever to pursue the path I want to
take.
James Clements
Ex-Dorcan Academy student
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Tatenda reaches for the stars!
It’s a hot June lunchtime and Tatenda, our outgoing Head Girl, arrives at my office fresh from her
final Physics exam ready to talk about the previous year and her future plans.
A year since Tatenda was appointed Head Girl; she has recently been awarded a place at Clifton
College, a top south-west independent school.
We talk about her time at The Dorcan Academy and how she has changed in the five years since
she joined us. “I have so much more confidence in myself,” she tells me. “Being at Dorcan, being
Head Girl, has been great. Applying for the position along with so many really good people and
then getting the post gave me a boost. The school placed me in a position of trust. You’re
representing the school all the time, so I had to carry myself. I thought about how I communicated
with younger students and parents constantly – they have to trust you.”
Tatenda thinks the combination of responsibilities in school and volunteering in the community
helped to convince her new school to offer her a place. “My predicted grades are all A* and A,
which helped; but they know that because of my other commitments, I’m likely to push through
and work hard.”
So what is Tatenda’s new school like? “It’s very different. It’s a boarding school, so it’s going to
be a whole new experience. I visited the school (and others) and I liked Clifton the best. It has
beautiful old buildings and a long history of traditions that have built up. Inside the school is very
welcoming and comfortable. It’s a well-known school, so I hope the reputation will help me when I
apply to university. I’ll have a chance to meet new people and my new tutor knows all about
applying for medicine, so she can help me.”
What about leaving home at sixteen? It’s a big step and Tatenda relishes the challenge. “I’m
ready to make the next step and become independent,” she insists.”I like the idea of change and
doing something completely new.”
What is your number one memory of Dorcan? “When I stood up in front of parents to give a
speech and one of the parents told me he wanted his daughter to be
like me. I felt I had inspired him. And also Mr Gregory chasing me
down the corridor to tell me I had an A* in my Maths mock. The
teachers here WANT you to do well.”
What advice can you give to younger students at Dorcan? “Grab
EVERY opportunity as it comes. For instance, I didn’t do D of E and
now I wish I had. Apply yourself and be proud of what you achieve!”
I thank Tatenda for all she has done for the school and wish her well
on the next step of her journey, which turns out to be getting herself
ready for Prom, our big goodbye to a wonderful Year 11!
Mrs Aplin
Associate Head Teacher
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Techniquest
On Tuesday 24th June, Mr Gregory and
Miss Messam took twenty three Year 8
pupils to Techniquest at Cardiff Bay. As
you can see from the pictures, lots of
fun and learning was had by all as we
experienced the hands on exhibitions,
completed the puzzles and games and
took part in a Mathemagics Show. All
pupils behaved exceptionally well and
were a credit to The Dorcan Academy.
Mr Gregory
Teacher of Maths
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RR14 Riveting Readathon
During the last few months students from Year 9 at The Dorcan Academy, Kingsdown and
Highworth Warneford schools have been taking part in the Riveting Read 2014 project. The
students have worked their way through five of the newest novels for young people, chosen by
the librarians from each of the schools. The books included were “ Heroic” by Phil Earle, “The 5 th
Wave” by Rick Yancey, “Hostage Three” by Nick Lake, “Infinite Sky” by C.J. Flood and “Monkey
Wars” by Richard Kurti. After reading all the books the students attended an event hosted at
Kingsdown School to choose a winning title. The students entered into lively discussions and
debates on the five titles. They worked in mixed groups to make presentations on how these
books might be made in to films and what chapters would make great scenes. Well done to Mia
Simmonds for her dedication in the preparation of the group presentation and to Daniel Singleton
for the lively opening of his presentation! It was a close run contest this year with the dystopian
novel “The 5th Wave” just beating “Hostage Three” to be the students choice as this year’s
winning title.
The event was a fantastic success and it was great to see students from each of the schools
discussing literature! It gave all the students an opportunity to read books from genres that they
would not have normally selected.
Well done and thank you to all the Year 9 students that took part.
Mrs Hardcastle
Learning Centre Manager
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Visit to Oxford University
At the beginning of the year a group of students were invited by Miss Bansal to take part in a
number of sessions with Cressida Ryan, the school liaison officer from Oxford University.
In the first session we were introduced to the Oxford University life and briefed on certain aspects
of what the sessions would entail. We were also approached about producing a prospectus entry
that would be presented to other schools at Merton College.
The second session included problem solving skills and thinking skills which encouraged us to
deliberate more, and during the third session we learnt the basics of ancient Greek and got the
opportunity to extend our vocabulary.
The last session focused on improving our debating and presentation skills. The sessions
concluded with a visit to Oxford University, where we presented our prospectus entry to the other
schools and members of the University, took a tour of the college grounds, ate a fantastic lunch
and saw the other group’s presentations. The sessions and final appearance provided an
excellent experience, including speaking to a large audience of mainly strangers.
Overall, we would highly recommend this trip for anyone wishing to learn about universities in a
more detailed way.
Krishna Mistry and Emily-Jane Sheppard (Year 10)
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Dates for your Diary
Term 1 Starts for students
3 September 2014
Information Evening Year 11
15 September 2014
Information Evening Year 10
16 September 2014
Open Morning
23/24/25 September 2014
Open Evening
25 September 2014
European Day of Languages
26 September 2014
Year 10/11 Science Holland Trip
21-24 October 2014
Meet your Mentor Day
22 October 2014
Term ends
22 October 2014
Term 2 starts
3 November 2014
Youth Festival of Literature
10-14 November 2014
Presentation Evening
20 November 2014
Christmas Concert St Paul’s Church
12 December 2014
Term ends (non uniform day)
19 December 2014
DETAILS OF ALL THESE EVENTS TO FOLLOW
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The Dorcan Academy
St. Paul’s Drive
Swindon, Wiltshire
SN3 5DA
Telephone: 01793 525231
Facsimile: 01793 431461
Email:
[email protected]
Head Teacher: Dr S Sissons PhD BSc
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